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PETA Demands Carousel-Maker To End Animal Designs As They “Unintentionally” Celebrate Exploitation
Animal rights organization PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) urged one of the largest manufacturers of amusement rides in the U.S. to put an end to the production of animal-themed carousels.
The organization argued that such rides unintentionally celebrate the exploitation of animals and also suggested using the figures of cars or spaceships as alternatives.
PETA president Ingrid Newkirk made a compelling appeal in the letter she addressed to Aaron Landrum, president and CEO of Chance Rides, a Kansas-based amusement company. She urged Landrum to cease the production and sale of animal-themed carousels, arguing that such attractions fuel the idea of human domination and supremacy over other species.
RELATED:
Animal-designed carousels encourage the idea that creatures like horses, camels, and elephants are human taxis and can be dominated over by humans, PETA believes
Image credits: David McElwee / Pexels
“All animals are thinking, feeling, affectionate, playful, and social beings who form strong bonds with their offspring if permitted to keep them (a rarity). They crave freedom from oppression,” Newkirk wrote in her letter. “Animal-themed carousel sets reinforce the notion that these sentient beings are simply here for our entertainment, rather than individuals with the same capacity to experience fear, pain, joy, and love as any of us.”
PETA urged the amusement ride manufacturers to switch animal figures with cars, airplanes, spaceships, or even whimsical designs like shooting stars
Image credits: Elina Volkova / Pexels
Animals used in these amusement rides, such as camels, horses, elephants, and dolphins, are often deprived and beaten into submission, PETA said in a press release. Instead, manufacturers could make carousel figures in the shape of cars, airplanes, spaceships, and bulldozers, or more “whimsical designs,” like shooting stars, rainbows, or brooms, the organization added.
“Children learn through play, and teaching them to have respect and compassion for all living, feeling beings can help create a more just and merciful world,” Newkirk was quoted saying in the press release.
“PETA urges Chance Rides and all other carousel manufacturers to hit the brakes on old-fashioned animal-themed rides and embrace designs that engage children’s imagination and showcase human talent,” Newkirk added.
The animal rights group said the company could send a powerful message to the world if they slam the brakes on the production of animal-themed carousels
Image credits: PRAPHAPHAN WONGSAWAN / Pexels
The animal rights group also said that Chance Rides, which describes itself on its website as the dominant producer of amusement ride-related equipment for decades, would join a growing list of compassionate companies like Nabisco, Trader Joe’s, and Dukal Corporation if they make the switch.
The replacement of animals in the design of carousels and other rides would send two powerful messages, PETA insisted in its letter to Landrum.
The first message would be that animals are to be respected and not exploited, and the second message would reinforce the idea that companies must evolve to keep up with the times.
“Would you kindly pledge to stop promoting this abuse by no longer producing carousel figures in animal forms?” the PETA president asked Landrum just before she ended her letter.
What do you think ?
Andy 10 months ago
Yawn, Another publicity stunt from PETA. I know PETA think that doing things like this gets them in the headlines and increase public awareness of them, but in reality all it does is put people off engaging with anything they say. Seems more like attention seeking by individuals saying "look how extreme and different I am", than anything to do with actually caring about animals.
Mike F 10 months ago
Agreed. Chasing low hanging fruit. How about they set their sights and $$ on the "private zoos" that are held by the folks with more money than sense and not a clue how to really care for the animals they hold captive!
Load More Replies... WindySwede 10 months ago
and according to internet PETA need to stop killing the animals they capture?
Libstak 10 months ago
Enough already. I'm glad circus animals are being replaced with light shows, that's great. However, can we not ignore our symbiotic history with animals? Having animal like carousels and rocking horses, teddy bears is not an automatic education in exploitation. There is a variety of education about respect, compassion and care for our animal kindred. Having an inate affection and love of animals is the primary drive for wanting their likeness to cuddle and harmlessly play with. We could lose more than we gain by this and create a separation of the goodwill from a relationship creatively and mentally that has led to the very evolution of thought that created supporters of animal rights in the first place. I have seen countless fear driven reactions from kids to even tiny puppies and kittens because they have not had either physical or artistic driven exposure to them as just one example.
day light 10 months ago
peta as an organization thinks humans shouldn't dare interfere with animals and has an extreme thought about pets. they decided pets would rather be dead than with humans and that's why they run kill shelters. nothing you say, no little bit of evidence or anecdote could ever change an idea as deranged as this so it's better to just save your breath and ignore them
Load More Replies...
Andy 10 months ago
Yawn, Another publicity stunt from PETA. I know PETA think that doing things like this gets them in the headlines and increase public awareness of them, but in reality all it does is put people off engaging with anything they say. Seems more like attention seeking by individuals saying "look how extreme and different I am", than anything to do with actually caring about animals.
Mike F 10 months ago
Agreed. Chasing low hanging fruit. How about they set their sights and $$ on the "private zoos" that are held by the folks with more money than sense and not a clue how to really care for the animals they hold captive!
Load More Replies... WindySwede 10 months ago
and according to internet PETA need to stop killing the animals they capture?
Libstak 10 months ago
Enough already. I'm glad circus animals are being replaced with light shows, that's great. However, can we not ignore our symbiotic history with animals? Having animal like carousels and rocking horses, teddy bears is not an automatic education in exploitation. There is a variety of education about respect, compassion and care for our animal kindred. Having an inate affection and love of animals is the primary drive for wanting their likeness to cuddle and harmlessly play with. We could lose more than we gain by this and create a separation of the goodwill from a relationship creatively and mentally that has led to the very evolution of thought that created supporters of animal rights in the first place. I have seen countless fear driven reactions from kids to even tiny puppies and kittens because they have not had either physical or artistic driven exposure to them as just one example.
day light 10 months ago
peta as an organization thinks humans shouldn't dare interfere with animals and has an extreme thought about pets. they decided pets would rather be dead than with humans and that's why they run kill shelters. nothing you say, no little bit of evidence or anecdote could ever change an idea as deranged as this so it's better to just save your breath and ignore them
Load More Replies...
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